Owing to the evolution of warfare, governments cannot stand still when it comes to deploying new technology to help maintain strategic advantage.
From improving intelligence gathering to helping the personnel on the ground remain connected — even when operating in the most hostile of environments, satellites play an essential role. Emilia Dobek, R&D Manager at GISS, and Andrew Bond, Sales and Marketing Director at ETL Systems, offered their thoughts regarding their work together on a recent, innovative project for the military.
How is the MILCOM landscape changing?
Andrew Bond
“While continuous development has always been important, the ongoing war in Ukraine and escalating geo-political tensions are making it even more important for governments around the world to be on high alert. Similarly, the growth of IoT enabled devices has created an opportunity for those who seek to do harm. With access to the network, they can gather highly sensitive information regarding the location of personnel, military bases or battle tactics. It’s not difficult to imagine the damage that could be done, should location data or information of this nature get into the hands of hostile forces. It’s paramount that anything touching the network — including the IoT-enabled devices worn by soldiers — is secure.”
How important is product reliability on the battlefield for warfighters?
Photo of the SatPack L-band manpack
Emilia Dobek
“Critically important — if products fail during warfighter interaction with hostile actors, missions fail and lives are lost. After gaining broad experience in developing communication and navigation solutions for airports and militaries, Global Infrastrucutre and Security Solutions (GISS) decided to expand this offering in 2016 to encompass SATCOM. As an established player in the market, we sought to upgrade the reliability and connectivity capabilities of the SatPack L-band manpack terminal that was initially designed for the Polish MOD.
“GISS commissioned ETL Systems in 2022 to custom design and manufacture a set of semi-rigid RF cables that would fit inside the terminal. GISS identified the need for this upgrade, but it was ETL’s technical expertise that ensured that the assembly was designed according to GISS’ needs, allowing them to optimize and customize the terminal. Having worked with ETL on a number of different projects in the past, including custom L-band splitters and combiners for a Defence application, we knew that ETL’s capabilities aligned with their needs and — more importantly — the needs of customers.”
What was the outcome of the project?
Andrew Bond
“Working in partnership, ETL and GISS developed a more lightweight and compact design, and that was imperative as the specification for this terminal was specifically for a manpack unit. The SatPack L-band manpack weighs only 19 kg. and is ready to work in less than 10 minutes, allowing personnel working in remote regions to connect and communicate efficiently and securely. The modular design allows the terminal to be used as a complete VSAT system and as an RF—L-band interface for a modem of the customer’s choice.”
Emilia Dobek
“Boasting enhanced connectivity capabilities, the entire SatPack family can transmit up to 31 GHz. and receive up to 22.20 GHz. on multiple frequencies, including X-, Ku- and Ka- band. An intuitive antenna pointing support has been developed that, when using a 100 cm. antenna, allows users to use a Tx signal of up to 47.5 d.Bi, meaning the terminal can reach defence personnel working in remote areas.”